On most modern-day toilets, there is mounted a seat which rests on the rim of the toilet bowl that has a cover pivotally attached thereto. The cover can be raised and lowered for providing use of the toilet. When the cover is left in a raised position, objects can be inadvertently dropped into the toilet. The toilet also becomes a safety hazard with regard to infants. Infants have a natural tendency to play in the water carried in the toilet, and if the infant crawls over the top of the rim of the toilet, he is subject to drowning.
Automatic seat lids for toilets are known, and one such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,372. This device includes a seat spring which ensures that the seat is returned to the down position wherein it rests on the rim of the toilet when not being used. This is to eliminate the possibility of inadvertently sitting on the toilet rim instead of the seat.
However, such device does not ensure that the cover which normally extends over the seat also remains in the closed position when not in use.